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enYouth Day- The youth’s potential for socio-economic transformationhttp://africa.ypard.net/news/youth-day-youth%E2%80%99s-potential-socio-economic-transformation
<p><em><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">“We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future”</span></span></span></b></em><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif"><em>.</em> This is a famous quote by the former president of the United States of America, Franklin D. Roosevelt. It’s a reflection of what youth can do to nations when well empowered to be agents of positive change. </span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">It is by far no doubt that the youth comprise the biggest percentage of the global population, with productivity capabilities to sustain economies; they are very energetic, innovative and with insatiable desire to discover new ways of solving critical challenges. The youth are a strong resource to nations. </span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">In a country like Uganda where 78% of the population is below thirty-five years of age, the youth have demonstrated that they can influence and change the direction the country can take. This is not only in the political spheres but in the socio-economic spheres too. </span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">This potential of the youth is however less exploited by governments especially on the African continent, with many government leaders underestimating the potential of the young to be agents of change. It is common to find leaders denying youth the chance to take part in decision making process. This denies these youth the chance to deliberate on key issues affecting them and the country as a whole. Those who get the chance to air out their views don’t get consideration when final implementation of decisions is made. </span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">With less involvement in decision making, many youth have resorted to unproductive activities where they feel they are recognized, leaving other key economic sectors with no workforce.</span></span></span></p>
<h3><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">Youth involvement in agriculture</span></span></span></b></h3>
<p><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">Because youth are less empowered, many regard agriculture as a “no-go” sector for career options. Many look at the sector as being for the rural poor, illiterate, failures in life and yet many go for years with no formal employment. Governments need to put in place centers that will train and empower youth to value and look at agriculture as a crucial sector for job creation and poverty alleviation. </span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">Uganda’s statistics indicate that out of the four hundred thousand students that graduate from institutions of higher learning annually, only ninety thousand get accommodated into the formal employment market. The big question would be, “where does the other bigger percentage end?” </span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">Most youth leave school with a mindset that they will get employed in offices where a paycheck will come every end of month. However to the disappointment of many, this does not come to be a reality. They end up getting so disgruntled and lose hope of getting employment. Because they think a degree holder cannot do farming, they end up engaging in illegal activities like gambling, sometimes engaged in criminal acts like robbery, pickpocketing, and others, to make ends meet. </span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">Government is putting in place strategies and policies to bring youth into the agriculture sector and to also create champions for the improvement of the same. However, due to politicizing of these campaigns, most of them have failed to meet their desired objectives to have an impact. Even with National Agricultural Advisory Services (<a href="https://www.google.com.gh/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjvvqiSp8_VAhXJIcAKHUkGCMMQFgglMAA&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.naads.or.ug%2F&amp;usg=AFQjCNHbvB77_-zpBrPAdIvkPmkbTg1UIQ">NAADS</a>), Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) and others in place, the number of youth taking on agriculture for a career is still lower than 20% of the total workforce in the sector. </span></span></span></p>
<h3><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">Political Participation</span></span></span></b></h3>
<p><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">In most African countries, youth are looked at as less experienced to take up political positions. Current presidents have used this as an excuse to cling on to power, claiming there are no potential replacements to run the country. This has created dictatorial tendencies that even those who come up with the desire to take up political positions are frustrated. With the trend of politics getting monetized, youth are kept away from active politics because they can’t afford to run a successful campaign that always gets expensive in the process. </span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">The United Nations has tried changing this trend by encouraging youth to run for political offices with the “Not too young to run” campaign. This however has not been impressed by many leaders especially those in Africa. </span></span></span></p>
<h3><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">Entrepreneurship</span></span></span></b></h3>
<p><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">Youth around the world have been branded the “Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Wareen Buffet of tomorrow” because of their innovativeness. Youth owned businesses are coming up each day, all in a bid to fight the challenge of youth unemployment. From street vending to app development, to enterprise setups, the youth have proved to be Uganda’s next business moguls in entrepreneurship. The government has embraced this struggle with support by setting up innovation hubs, designing policies pro to startups, and the recently introduced Youth Livelihood Programme. </span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">One big challenge these startups are facing is the business mortality rate. Due to the state of the economy, most of these businesses never live to enjoy their fifth birthday. The Youth Livelihood Programme has not benefited most youth due to the challenges encountered in its implementation. With money being given to youth and yet with no training in financial management, lack of experience to run business and lack of mentorship, the programme has been misused. What is meant to work as “venture capital” has been treated as “gift” from the government to the youth and are not willing to pay back the money. Due to lack of training, many of these youth have invested in non-productive business, whose returns are insufficient to pay back both the principal and mandatory interest. </span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">As we celebrate this year’s Youth Day, let us change our mindset towards youth, support them, empower them and groom them into champions and ambassadors of transformation. </span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif"><em>Photo credit: </em></span></span></span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/moibrahimfoundation/8176635823/in/photolist-dsxoXH-fBfUXE-fBfUKS-fB1FUc-9RQe9Z-hTQqi3-fB1HpZ-fAYtTc-9RT8M7-ikxDFo-fBfWKw-cRGUmE-7LA9xY-dsyJ23-4Prvzq-fB1yWt-s8xhtP-cRFJis-9RQdRe-cRGHR5-9RT9gJ-c57nyA-fBg2jq-9RT96G-88uaFu-88rScg-88tNMw-88uRZN-bed9dt-88runD-88rkLv-88raGi-5w1sgD-88qsFa-5w5FwJ-p7abNx-88tKQQ-smM9e3-88uwP5-5w5HuY-4XHiq1-cga1Cs-beddCp-f4B9V2-88r3Ga-5w1rU8-4XGRYQ-fB1yBr-7BcWn2-7BgKBd" target="_blank"><em>Mo Ibrahim Foundation</em></a></p>
11 Aug 2017Charles Maserekahttp://africa.ypard.net/news/youth-day-youth%E2%80%99s-potential-socio-economic-transformationHow do we make farming cool when temperatures are hot?http://africa.ypard.net/news/how-do-we-make-farming-cool-when-temperatures-are-hot
<div about="" typeof=""><p>Migration is part of human history; the current human geography of Africa can be traced back to movements made centuries ago. In Uganda, different ethnic groups, including the Bantu, Hamites, Nilotics and Nilo-hamites, all entered the country from different places in response to a variety of circumstances, including drought, infertile soils, and depleted livestock pastures.</p></div><div about="" typeof=""><img alt="Cattle grazing, Lakomori village, Uganda" src="/sites/ypard.net/files/Cattle%20graze%20Uganda.png" style="width:580px;height:290px;border-width:2px;border-style:solid;" /><div>Today, climate change is also becoming an important contributing factor in the movement of people. Adverse weather conditions are affecting the lives and livelihoods of people across different agro-ecologies, causing higher risks. This is particularly true in developing countries, such as in Uganda, where environmental risks are becoming a <a href="http://publications.iom.int/system/files/pdf/mp_uganda_25feb2015_web.pdf" target="_blank">major driver of migration</a>. For instance, in North-Eastern Uganda, the Karamajong, who are a nomadic people, have been forced to move even more frequently because of climate change, given the highly variable semi-arid environment.</div></div><div about="" typeof=""><p>The challenge for the farmers and pastoralists affected now, as well as for those anticipating climate change impacts, is how to adapt successfully in order to become more resilient and attain income- and food-secure livelihood activities.</p><h3>Migration as adaptation measure</h3><p>At its root, adaptation means, “to become adjusted to new conditions.” This may mean seeking out more conducive conditions rather than changing one’s physical capacities in order to suit the surrounding environment. Moving yourself rather than changing what you are or what you do can be an effective way to adapt.</p></div><div about="" typeof=""><div><img alt="Painting depicting different environments and adaptation mechanisms." src="/sites/ypard.net/files/Adaptation%20measures.png" style="width:580px;height:283px;border-width:2px;border-style:solid;" /></div><div>For governments, migration may be looked upon as an adaptation strategy in response to increasing pressures caused by growing population and unemployment (particularly among youth), skill shortages, and infrastructural and financial gaps, in addition to other risks, such as climate change.</div></div><div about="" typeof=""><p>For people, the greatest driver may be belief in the possibility of a better life – the ‘grass is greener’ syndrome. This is perhaps especially the case for those whose livelihood depends on a sector where the outlook is particularly bleak, such as for farmers and pastoralists anticipating the impacts of climate change.</p><h3>Climate change and migration ages agriculture in Uganda</h3><p>Uganda is a good case in point. The country had the <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;source=web&amp;rct=j&amp;url=https://www.unicef.org/uganda/UNICEF_UGANDA_FAST_FACTS_July_2012.pdf&amp;ved=0ahUKEwj3v6D9hd3UAhVBKsAKHeAnDxAQFgghMAI&amp;usg=AFQjCNElH7DTziPzIIn6zjvnl7jGuaNXpQ" target="_blank">2nd highest fertility rate in the world </a>in 2002. With <a href="http://www.ubos.org/2016/03/24/census-2014-final-results/" target="_blank">78% of the population younger than 30</a> years of age, Uganda is the <a href="https://www.google.com/amp/amp.weforum.org/agenda/2016/05/the-world-s-10-youngest-countries-are-all-in-africa" target="_blank">second youngest population in the world</a> after Niger. However, with the <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youth_in_Uganda" target="_blank">unemployment rate for young people between 15 - 24 years at 83%</a>, Uganda has the highest dependency ratio at 103%.</p><p>At the same time, contrary to popular belief, <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;source=web&amp;rct=j&amp;url=http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/Pnady157.pdf&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjZ44qUI93UAhXkLcAKHW6wC94QFgg0MAM&amp;usg=AFQjCNFB_O16TavkVT817qIEWOCJIZLIZg" target="_blank">the majority of youth is interested in agriculture and ag-enterprise development</a> but lack the resources to break into the sector.</p><p>Climate change heightens the need for the right support and input provision, not least because it adds a major disincentive to engage in the sector if it is seen as risky. Specific challenges include perceived increases in the cost of investment in agriculture, from the need to purchase drought resistant seeds, to the introduction of irrigation facilities to iron out rainfall anomalies, and measures to reduce losses due to pest infestation.</p><p>All these factors can be seen to have contributed to making agriculture less attractive or affordable to youth. The net effect is that, although the population is very young, the average age of a Ugandan farmer is 54 years. The lure of work in urban areas remains strong for youth.</p><p>Among the “millennials,” exposure through technology to what exists beyond Ugandan borders may also lead them to migrate out of their own country. Many migrate over great distances and via risky, sometimes informal routes. The chief lure is wage labor and being able to partake in an international cash economy.</p><h3>Making agriculture more appealing to youth</h3><p>The question is whether there is a way to respond to young people’s apparent interest in agriculture and curb migration trends in a way that is economically viable. The key emerging issues include understanding why some stay, and what makes others leave. If youth do leave, what is the difference in experiences, both at origin (e.g. with the migrant’s family) and at the destination?</p><p>It is also important to look at the incentives of governments in addition to those of individuals. Doing so will lead to a completely different approach to sector development strategies in agriculture and climate change adaptation.</p><p>In the face of such complex, interwoven challenges, the <a href="https://www.unisdr.org/we/inform/events/52195" target="_blank">CBA11</a><a href="http://muccri.mak.ac.ug/content/cba11-youth-conference" target="_blank">Youth Forum</a> will be held in Kampala, Uganda on June 28th and 29th 2017. The CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE), led by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), is hoping to contribute to the identification of potential ways forward for youth in agriculture, as well as for African governments, and propose support measures.</p><p>WLE will lead a session titled “A youth agenda for sustainable agricultural transformation in an era of climate change and out-migration,” where we hope to get all relevant stakeholders talking about how to give Ugandan youth access to the agricultural sector. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cba11" target="_blank">Stay tuned!</a></p></div><div><em>Find the original post on the <a href="https://wle.cgiar.org/thrive/2017/06/27/how-do-we-make-farming-cool-when-temperatures-are-hot" target="_blank">CGIAR blog</a>. </em></div><div> </div><div><em>Photo credits: Oxfam and Art 4 Collective Action</em></div>05 Jul 2017Daphne Nansambuhttp://africa.ypard.net/news/how-do-we-make-farming-cool-when-temperatures-are-hotFarming first launches online campaign for SDGshttp://africa.ypard.net/news/farming-first-launches-online-campaign-sdgs
<p align="center"><img alt="SDG 2.4" src="/sites/ypard.net/files/FF.jpg" style="width: 580px; height: 437px; border-width: 2px; border-style: solid; margin: 6px;" /></p><p>The global agriculture coalition <a href="http://www.farmingfirst.org" target="_blank">Farming First</a> is launching a five-week online campaign calling attention to the important role agriculture can play in meeting many of the SDGs, with a particular focus on SDG2: ending hunger.</p><p>On 10<sup>th</sup> July 2017, the United Nations will meet to track progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. For each of the five weeks leading up to this key event, Farming First and its diverse supporter base will share stories of success to relate to each of the five targets of SDG2 in turn:</p><ul><li>12th – 16th June: SDG 2.5 - Protecting genetic diversity </li><li>19th – 23rd June: SDg 2.4 - Resilient food systems</li><li>26th – 30th June: SDG 2.3 - Doubling agricultural productivity &amp; smallholder incomes </li><li>3rd - 7th July: SDG 2.2 - Ending malnutrition </li><li>10th – 14th July: SDG 2.1 - Ending Hunger</li></ul><p>From building climate resilience in Haiti, to a return to traditional food crops in Senegal, stories will also explore how agriculture can have a significant impact on advancing many other Sustainable Development Goals, including ending poverty (SDG1) the empowerment of women (SDG5), and combatting climate change (SDG13).</p><p>The online campaign will culminate at an <a href="https://farmingfirst.org/2017/05/agriculture-and-food-day-to-implement-the-sustainable-development-goals/" target="_blank">Agriculture &amp; Food Day</a> being held in New York on 13th July, that will also discuss the interlinkages between agriculture and Agenda 2030.</p><p>For more information click <a href="http://www.farmingfirst.org/SDGs" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/krubffiCYoY" width="560"></iframe></p><h3><strong>About Farming First</strong>:</h3><p>Farming First is a multi-stakeholder coalition of than 170 organisations operating around the world. The coalition exists to articulate, endorse and promote practical, actionable programmes and activities to further sustainable agricultural development worldwide. Farming First organisations represent the world’s farmers, scientists, engineers and industry as well as leading agricultural development organisations. With one shared voice, Farming First highlights the importance of improving farmers’ livelihoods and agriculture’s potential contribution to global issues such as food security, climate change and biodiversity.</p><p>Read more about Farming First <a href="http://www.farmingfirst.org" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>22 Jun 2017YPARDhttp://africa.ypard.net/news/farming-first-launches-online-campaign-sdgsWhy technologies could hook the youth to agriculturehttp://africa.ypard.net/news/why-technologies-could-hook-youth-agriculture
<p><img alt="Technologu and agriculture" src="/sites/ypard.net/files/4821530518_daa83d1fdf_z.jpg" style="width: 580px; height: 385px; border-width: 2px; border-style: solid; margin: 6px;" /></p><p>Strengthening resilience and <a href="http://www.scidev.net/sub-saharan-africa/agriculture/food-security/">food security</a> for <a href="http://www.scidev.net/sub-saharan-africa/agriculture/">agricultural</a> communities is necessary for transforming agriculture, wellness and development of people, especially the youth, in Africa.<br /><br />Salient to me from the Ministerial Conference on Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition and the 4th Agritec Africa International Exhibition in Kenya last week (14-16 June) was that <a href="http://www.scidev.net/sub-saharan-africa/environment/disasters/">droughts, floods, and rising temperatures</a> are already cutting crop yields, threatening fish stocks and meat supply, and pushing people deeper into poverty.<br /><br />Organised by Global Open Data and Nutrition, the meeting assembled critical players in the African agriculture sector such as ministers, <a href="http://www.scidev.net/sub-saharan-africa/agriculture/farming/" target="_blank">farmers</a>, private agribusiness firms, financial institutions, civil society, scientists and international development partners to discuss and develop concrete plans for achieving measures to reduce food crises in Africa.</p><p>Even more worrying to the continent’s food baskets are climate change-related impacts and shocks threatening to diminish future productivity growth.<br /><br />I concur with experts that climate-smart agriculture is more urgent for Africa than ever before to help build resilience of vulnerable communities to <a href="http://www.scidev.net/sub-saharan-africa/environment/climate-change/" target="_blank">climate change</a> impacts.<br /><br />And I believe technological innovations in agriculture are key to creating new jobs and economic opportunities for the youth in Africa’s agricultural sector.<br /><br />Young people should be engaged in agricultural value chains through scientific <a href="http://www.scidev.net/sub-saharan-africa/enterprise/innovation/" target="_blank">innovations</a>.<br /><br />Experts at the meeting could not be further from the truth by saying that the agriculture sector contributes a significant share of jobs in African countries.<br /><br />Annie Nyagah, executive director of 4-H, an organisation that aims to empower youth innovators in Kenya, sounded quite convincing that new <a href="http://www.scidev.net/sub-saharan-africa/enterprise/technology/" target="_blank">technologies</a> and innovations can create new opportunities for the youth to gain employments in agriculture.<br /><br />Technological innovations such as <a href="http://www.scidev.net/sub-saharan-africa/communication/icts/" target="_blank">information and communication technologies</a> are increasingly connecting farmers to markets, reducing transaction costs, and raising food system efficiencies.<br /><br />Yes, young people are well-placed to benefit from jobs created by these innovations because they are more likely than adults to own ICT technologies such as mobile phones and adopt extension services using the <a href="http://www.scidev.net/sub-saharan-africa/communication/icts/" target="_blank">digital</a> platforms.</p><p><em>Photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/geekstats/5291543282/in/photolist-94AxsS-hfs7Br-fPkbbk-hfs6mR-hfsyyX-hfra4U-hfrszh-nZLGM4-ajHbiK-hfrnJz-hfrE2W-hfruTK-hfr4Wb-bnzRy8-UWecCA-hfrvYR-VotgST-oLbaw1-nZY9k9-Vwuu1q-hfsMxT-VsFtQ7-oMW5HK-nY2kay-SoMSEZ-VotfQx-VsFsgA-bJBBar-UWecvw-qpjk2e-r4Dnax-gK4z1G-SVDXQY-qpjmcR-VotfgB-VjBqRT-UArPnq-bnwP4Z-Vothnv-bvGU6d-VkqRcJ-UZQFGG-VkqQfJ-hfrLCw-rm1sPU-7LrEXQ-VwtXSj-UZQ2XU-UZQ3nm-VkqJks" target="_blank">C</a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ciat/4821530518/in/photolist-8m4B3w-89vAGF-BhjijS-U5pa63-9WrrJA-avDqyJ-5wBq3U-ovvDBA-nQ8XeX-SWQTyy-auRXuq-6mbJQk-b46nRa-d9Rsa1-8zKBon-VmWVRv-dm46XG-ntPNCJ-93nrrx-dTdosZ-mEM3FB-auWib4-7wcjpT-fTUgj9-fJpvZ-9dX51z-ULKbWU-rnk4uu-qH7ZMr-auPhr8-HgW5o-dQZQ3a-dcbSYU-jfYTmR-nev36D-6QacAF-qbSVsQ-punQeP-rBBPnG-nQ8Z24-poucVb-oReWHc-qS3HU4-7wg8DW-7wg6vN-6mf1qm-dQZQnp-cuHPkW-bsFf7n-rx1f6c" target="_blank">IAT</a>. </em><em>Find the original post at <a href="http://www.scidev.net/sub-saharan-africa/agriculture/scidev-net-at-large/technologies-innovation-youth-agriculture.html?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=SciDevDailyDigest&amp;utm_campaign=international%20SciDev.Net%20daily%20update%3A%2020%20June%202017" target="_blank">SciDev.Net</a></em></p>20 Jun 2017Kofi Acquayehttp://africa.ypard.net/news/why-technologies-could-hook-youth-agricultureAfrica must start by treating agriculture as a business http://africa.ypard.net/news/africa-must-start-treating-agriculture-business
<p><img alt="Agribusiness; Harvesting wheat" src="/sites/ypard.net/files/agribusiness.jpg" style="width: 580px; height: 334px; border-width: 2px; border-style: solid; margin: 6px;" /></p><p>No region of the world has ever moved to industrialised economy status without a transformation of the agricultural sector. Agriculture, which contributes 16.2% of the GDP of Africa, and gives some form of employment to over 60% of the population, holds the key to accelerated growth, diversification and job creation for African economies.</p><p>But the performance of the sector has historically been low. Cereal yields are significantly below the global average. Modern farm inputs, including improved seeds, mechanisation and irrigation, are severely limited.</p><p>In the past, agriculture was seen as the domain of the humanitarian development sector, as a way to manage poverty. It was not seen as a business sector for wealth creation. Yet Africa has huge potential in agriculture – and with it huge investment potential. Some 65% of all the uncultivated arable land left in the world lies in Africa. When Africa manages to feed itself, as – within a generation – it will, it will also be able to to feed the 9 billion people who will inhabit the planet in 2050.</p><p>However, Africa is wasting vast amounts of money and resources by underrating its agriculture sector. For example, it spends $35 billion in foreign currency annually importing food, a figure that is set to rise to over $100 billion per year by 2030.</p><p>In so doing, Africa is choking its own economic future. It is importing the food that it should be growing itself. It is exporting, often to developed countries, the jobs it needs to keep and nurture. It also has to pay inflated prices resulting from global commodity supply fluctuations.</p><p>The food and agribusiness sector is projected to grow from $330 billion today to $1 trillion by 2030, and remember that there will also be 2 billion people looking for food and clothing. African enterprises and investors need to convert this opportunity and unlock this potential for Africa and Africans.</p><h3>Agriculture as business</h3><p>Africa must start by treating agriculture as a business. It must learn fast from experiences elsewhere, for example in south east Asia, where agriculture has been the foundation for fast-paced economic growth, built on a strong food processing and agro-industrial manufacturing base.</p><p>This is the transformation formula: agriculture allied with industry, manufacturing and processing capability equals strong and sustainable economic development, which creates wealth throughout the economy.</p><p>Africa must not miss opportunities for such linkages whenever and wherever they occur. We must reduce food system losses all along the food chain, from the farm, storage, transport, processing and retail marketing.</p><p>To drive agro-industrialization, we must be able to finance the sector. Doing so will help unlock the potential of agriculture as a business on the continent. Under its Feed Africa strategy, the African Development Bank will invest $24 billion in agriculture and agribusiness over the next ten years. This is a 400% increase in financing, from the current levels of $600 million per year.</p><p>A key component will be providing $700 million to a flagship program known as “Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation” for the scaling up of agricultural technologies to reach millions of farmers in Africa in the next ten years.</p><p>Finance and farming have not always been easy partners in Africa. Another pillar of the Bank’s strategy is to accelerate commercial financing for agriculture. Despite its importance, the agriculture sector receives less than 3% of the overall industry financing provided by the banking sector.</p><p>Risk sharing instruments may resolve this, by sharing the risk of lending by commercial banks to the agriculture sector. Development finance institutions and multilateral development banks should be setting up national risk-sharing facilities in every African country to leverage agricultural finance. And the African Development Bank is setting the pace based on a very successful risk sharing scheme that I promoted while Agriculture Minister in Nigeria.</p><h3>Infrustructure</h3><p>Rural infrastructure development is critical for the transformation of the agriculture sector, including electricity, water, roads and rail to transport finished agricultural and processed foods.</p><p>The lack of this infrastructure drives up the cost of doing business and has discouraged food manufacturing companies from getting established in rural areas. Governments should provide fiscal and infrastructure incentives for food manufacturing companies to move into rural areas, closer to zones of production than consumption.</p><p>This can be achieved by developing agro-industrial zones and staple crop processing zones in rural areas. These zones, supported with consolidated infrastructure, including roads, water, electricity and perhaps suitable accommodation, will drive down the cost of doing business for private food and agribusiness firms.</p><p>They will create new markets for farmers, boosting economic opportunities in rural areas, stimulating jobs and attracting higher domestic and foreign investments into the rural areas. This will drive down the cost of doing business, as well as significantly reduce the high level of African post-harvest losses. As agricultural income rises, neglected rural areas will become zones of economic prosperity.</p><p>Our goal is simple: to support massive agro-industrial development all across Africa. When that happens, Africa will have taken its rightful place as a global powerhouse in food production. It could well also be feeding the world. At this point the economic transformation that we are all working for will be complete.</p><div><em>Find the original article at <a href="http://www.agricouncil.org/africa-must-start-treating-agriculture-business/" target="_blank">Africa Agri Council's website</a>.</em></div>14 May 2017Kofi Acquayehttp://africa.ypard.net/news/africa-must-start-treating-agriculture-businessHow to help Africa feed itselfhttp://africa.ypard.net/news/how-help-africa-feed-itself
<h3><img alt="" src="/sites/ypard.net/files/Help%20Af.jpg" style="width: 580px; height: 386px; border-width: 2px; border-style: solid; margin: 6px;" /></h3><h3>Famine has revived a debate about scaling up farms on the continent.</h3><p>Peter Sotamaruti’s 2-acre farm near Bungoma, a village in western Kenya, is minuscule by the standards of the developed world. But it’s double the acreage he tended five years ago. Sales of surplus corn have allowed the 49-year-old farmer and his family to trade up from a mud hut to a three-room brick house with solar-powered lights. His modest profits also cover school fees for his four high school-age children and pay for health insurance, a luxury among farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. “We now treat our farm as a business,” says Sotamaruti, who plans to expand to 4 acres in the next year.</p><p>The threat of famine has added fuel to a long-running debate over whether African governments, working in concert with nongovernmental organizations, should do more to promote commercial-scale agriculture and ease the continent’s dependence on subsistence farming. Africa is facing the world’s most severe food crisis since World War II, with some 20 million people at risk of starvation because of a combination of drought conditions and armed conflict.</p><p>According to the <a data-web-url="http://www.fao.org/home/en/" href="http://www.fao.org/home/en/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations</a>, smallholders provide as much as 80 percent of the food supply in sub-Saharan Africa. Chronically short of money for seeds and fertilizers and lacking the infrastructure to store and ship crops, these farmers are especially vulnerable to the ravages of climate change, to say nothing of civil wars. Still, the debate is not about productivity alone: In Africa, a higher share of the population is employed in farming than in any other part of the world, so policies that favor larger farms would by necessity push some growers off the land.</p><p>The issue is taking on new urgency in an age when some donor nations are turning inward. Donald Trump’s <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-16/which-countries-could-suffer-as-trump-puts-aid-on-chopping-block" target="_blank">budget proposal cuts</a> 37 percent from the <a data-web-url="https://www.usaid.gov/" href="https://www.usaid.gov/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">U.S. Department of State and the Agency for International Development</a>. That would touch everything from irrigation projects to nutrition programs aimed at schoolchildren.</p><p>Christopher Barrett, an agricultural economist at Cornell, says development aid needs to be channeled toward farmers who have the wherewithal to scale up and not drained away on subsistence-level growers, who can be wiped out by a single bad year. “When the commercial-farmer class is growing, they spend in their local community and they stimulate demand for products,” he says. “They’ll hire someone to clean the house, or they’ll start a local company.”</p><p>Africa’s commercial farmers encounter many of the same obstacles as smallholders, but they have some longer-term advantages, says Sam Jones, a professor at the University of Copenhagen whose work has focused on African agriculture. In the past, “there was a feeling that smallholder farmers can be more productive because they can take advantage of family labor,” he says. “But technology is playing a larger and larger role in agriculture, and that’s harder for small farmers to get access to.”</p><p>The term “technology,” in this instance, includes things such as drought and pest-resistant seeds and chemicals being developed by DuPont Co. and Monsanto Co. specifically for Africa. Smaller farmers tend to save seeds from previous harvests, lowering yields, and they skimp on fertilizer. Larger ones also benefit from access to credit and crop insurance. Jones describes a virtuous cycle in which better-equipped, better-capitalized farmers buy out their neighbors, some of whom become laborers and some of whom find jobs in cities.</p><p><em>Find the original post at <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-04-27/how-to-help-africa-feed-itself">Bloomberg's website</a>.</em></p>14 May 2017Kofi Acquayehttp://africa.ypard.net/news/how-help-africa-feed-itself20 Food Leaders Under 40http://africa.ypard.net/news/20-food-leaders-under-40
<p><img alt="" src="https://foodtank.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Food-Tank-National-Young-Farmer-Survey-770x463.jpg" style="width: 580px; height: 349px; border-width: 2px; border-style: solid; margin: 6px;" /></p><p>At Food Tank, we are constantly amazed by the variety of ideas, initiatives, businesses, and research put forth by talented individuals making waves in the food and agriculture sectors. They come from varying backgrounds, regions, and perspectives, and represent a wide range of ages.</p><p>Our present food system has been shaped by the combined efforts of both the innovative food leaders that have come before us and those that stand beside us, making the prospects of its future exciting and inextricably linked to our current efforts and the efforts of the generation of leaders yet to come. No matter their age, we appreciate and are inspired by those individuals working towards creating a better food system for all.</p><p>To highlight the work of some of the younger leaders out there, here are 20 emerging and established changemakers under 40 years old, who are already shaping the future of our global and local food systems.</p><p>1. Aviva Paley</p><p>Believing that kitchens can be drivers of social and economic good in communities, Paley co-launched <a href="http://kitchensforgood.org/" target="_blank">Kitchens for Good</a> (KFG) in 2014 to combat food waste and hunger, while providing culinary job training for the chronically unemployed in San Diego, California. The social enterprise helps develop community kitchens by rescuing surplus and imperfect food from farmers and wholesalers and transforming it into healthy meals for families in need. As KFG’s Director of Programs and Communications, Paley oversees all job training, hunger relief, and food rescue programs in addition to running the organization’s marketing and communications.</p><p>2. Chris Castro</p><p>Castro has spent the last ten years as an entrepreneur, community organizer, and sustainability professional. In 2008, he co-founded <a href="https://ideasforus.org/" target="_blank">IDEAS for US</a>, a global nonprofit that works to help people develop innovative solutions to advance sustainability and fund local initiatives around the world. In 2014, he helped to co-found <a href="http://fleetfarming.org/" target="_blank">Fleet Farming</a>, an organization working to reduce the impact of food production through a bike-powered, hyperlocalized urban farming model that transforms lawns into gardens. Castro is currently serving as the Sustainability Director for the city of Orlando, Florida.</p><p>3. Christopher Bradshaw</p><p>Bradshaw is the founder and director of <a href="http://dreamingoutloud.org/" target="_blank">Dreaming Out Loud</a>, a social enterprise that is rebuilding urban community-based food systems in the D.C. metro area by creating economic opportunities and helping develop low-income entrepreneurs and cooperatives. Bradshaw additionally serves on D.C.’s Food Policy Council and was selected as an Ashoka-American Express Emerging Innovator in 2015. He was also a finalist for Ashoka Changemakers’ Nutrients for All competition.</p><p>4. Danielle Gould</p><p>Gould started <a href="https://foodtechconnect.com/" target="_blank">Food + Tech Connect</a> in 2009 as a resource and connector for the food tech sector. Passionate about collaboration, technology, and the food system, she regularly speaks and consults within the tech community to help build a community of food innovators. Most recently, she launched <a href="http://ed.foodtechconnect.com/" target="_blank">Food + Tech Ed</a>, an online food business community and platform that provides courses for individuals looking to enter the food and food tech industry.</p><p>5. Elhadj Diallo</p><p>As the program director of <a href="http://daretoinnovate.com/welcome-en" target="_blank">Dare to Innovate</a> in Guinea, Diallo has helped to launch and train 27 aspiring “agroprenuers” throughout the region. As a result, the pilot program has overseen the disbursements of startup funding to seven businesses across Guinea. Currently, he is working to formalize and implement an annual agroprenuer incubator program.</p><p>6. Emily Dowding-Smith</p><p>A resource management and environmental lawyer, Dowding-Smith works with New Zealand’s <a href="http://sustainable.org.nz/" target="_blank">Sustainable Business Network</a> (SBN) as the lead on the organization’s restorative food project. Her current work involves developing a<a href="http://sustainable.org.nz/sustainability-news/introducing-the-national-good-food-network#.WNHfQRjMz-Y" target="_blank"> National Good Food Network</a>, connecting 13 regional health, sports, iwi (tribal authorities), food rescue, and food literacy organisations together and helping them to collaborate on solutions to local food system issues. Prior to SBN, she served as the Urban Food Systems Forum Manager for the Resilient Cities team at the <a href="http://www.iclei.org/" target="_blank">ICLEI World Secretariat</a> after pursuing master’s thesis research on seed practices and urban agriculture resilience in Havana, Cuba.</p><p>7. Evan Lutz</p><p>Lutz is the founder of <a href="http://www.hungryharvest.net/" target="_blank">Hungry Harvest</a>, a company that recovers “ugly” produce from farms and delivers it to its growing network of customers. For every box of produce delivered, it subsidizes or donates one to three pounds of produce to those in need. Lutz started Hungry Harvest during his final year of college to redefine food waste and create positive impact in his surrounding Baltimore community. Hungry Harvest now serves Maryland, D.C., Northern Virginia, Philadelphia, and Southern New Jersey.</p><p>8. Erica Hellen</p><p>Hellen first learned about the role agriculture plays in how we treat the environment while studying at Warren Wilson College. After graduating, she continued to be drawn to farming’s dualistic nature as a livelihood and means of activism. As a co-owner and farmer at <a href="http://www.freeuniongrassfarm.com/" target="_blank">Free Union Grass Farm</a>, she uses rotational grazing and portable infrastructure to raise diversified livestock in a holistic manner that works alongside nature.</p><p>9. Esther Park</p><p>As a member of the <a href="http://goodfoodla.org/" target="_blank">Los Angeles Food Policy Council</a>, Park has helped create and develop its <a href="http://goodfoodla.org/policymaking/healthy-neighborhood-market-network/" target="_blank">Healthy Neighborhood Market Network</a>. The program supports small immigrant business owners in low-income communities develop food action plans that increase healthy food access for their customers.</p><p>10. Jarrett Stein</p><p>Co-founder of <a href="https://www.rvcrew.com/" target="_blank">Rebel Ventures</a>, Stein works with a crew of West Philadelphia high school students to develop and distributes healthy and delicious snack products to kids in their Philadelphia community to combat childhood obesity and educate on healthy, balanced, diets. In January, he and his Rebel Ventures Crew introduced its latest product, Rebel Crumbles, into 235 public schools in the School District of Philadelphia.</p><p>11. Lauren Tucker</p><p>With an academic background in International Relations, Tucker has always been interested in development and working with communities to improve their relationship with the natural environment. As the Director of <a href="https://www.kisstheground.com/" target="_blank">Kiss the Ground</a>, an organization that advocates for soil restoration worldwide, Tucker assists the organization in producing media content, engaging homeless youth in their community garden, and building support for rebuilding soil composition.</p><p>12. Lindsey Lusher Shute</p><p>Shute is the Executive Director of the <a href="http://www.youngfarmers.org/" target="_blank">National Young Farmers’ Coalition</a> (NYFC) and an active advocate for independent and sustainable farms. A farmer herself, she co-founded NYFC as a platform for young farmers to become involved with and actively influence the structural obstacles they face. In 2014, the White House named Lusher Shute “Champion of Change.”</p><p>13. Michal Siewierski</p><p>In addition to being a TV producer, director, and documentary filmmaker, Siewierski is an environmental and health activist. His latest documentary, “<a href="http://www.foodchoicesmovie.com/" target="_blank">Food Choices</a>,” investigates how the food we eat impacts human health, the environment, and the existence of other species.</p><p>14. Ruben E. Canedo</p><p>Specializing in student food security, Canedo co-leads the UC Berkeley Food Security Committee and the <a href="http://casfs.ucsc.edu/research/gfi.html" target="_blank">UC Global Food Initiative</a> Food Access and Security Subcommittee. He also currently coordinates the efforts of the campus food security working groups on the University of California’s ten campuses while continuing to pursue research on college student food access and security issues.</p><p>15. Samir Goel and Hannah Dehradunwala</p><p>While still students at New York University, Goel and Dehradunwala co-founded <a href="http://www.transfernation.org/" target="_blank">Transfernation</a>, a nonprofit that uses logistics technology to rescue and redistribute extra food from events and cafeterias to those in need around New York City. Both are passionate about food waste and finding efficient and sustainable means to improve communities’ abilities to communicate and re-distribute valuable resources.</p><p>16. Samuel Rigu</p><p>Rigu is the co-founder and CEO of <a href="http://safi.strikingly.com/" target="_blank">Safi Organics</a>, a company that produces and sells the carbon negative fertilizer, Safi Sarvi, to farmers in Kenya. His company uses local farm waste to produce the fertilizer, creating a product that increases rural farmers’ yields and reduces soil acidity. As a result, it helps farmers increase their yields by 30 to 50 percent and income by up to 50 percent. Prior to starting Safi Organics, Rigu studied Agricultural Development at the University of Nairobi and worked as a farm manager and teacher in his community.</p><p>17. Severine Von Tscharner Fleming</p><p>Hailing from Champlain Valley, New York, Von Tscharner Fleming is a farmer, activist, and dynamic organizer dedicated to supporting and connecting American farmers. Soon after graduating from U.C. Berkeley, she founded <a href="http://www.thegreenhorns.net/" target="_blank">The GreenHorns</a>, a grassroots nonprofit that uses a variety of programming and media to recruit, promote, and support young farmers. She also serves as the board president of <a href="http://www.agrariantrust.org/" target="_blank">Agrarian Trust</a> and is the founder of <a href="http://farmhack.org/tools">Farm Hack</a>, two organizations working to create open networks and tools to support new farmers in sustainable agricultural practices. </p><p>18. Shi Yan</p><p>Yan is the founder of <a href="http://www.littledonkeyfarm.com/plugin.php?id=aiview_dzx:pages">Little Donkey Farm</a>, the first CSA in China. Launched in 2008, Yan began the farm to implement organic and sustainable farming methods after learning about organic farming and the CSA model while working on a CSA in Minnesota. Through Little Donkey Farm and her second CSA, Shared Harvest, Yan aims to build trust between farmers and consumers and further the education and public participation of its surrounding community in food system issues.</p><p>19. Simran Sethi</p><p>A journalist and educator focused on food, sustainability, and social change, Sethi currently serves as an associate at the University of Melbourne’s Sustainable Society Institute and a fellow at the food justice think tank, Food First!. She is the author of <em>Bread, Wine, Chocolate: The Slow Loss of Food We Love</em> and the creator of the podcast <em>The Slow Melt. </em>Sethi has been named one of the top eight women saving the planet by <em>Marie Claire</em> magazine and an “environmental messenger” by <em>Vanity Fair</em>.</p><p>20. Tyler Youngblood</p><p>The co-founder of the Colombian-based coffee company<a href="http://azaharcoffee.com/" target="_blank"> Azahar</a>, Youngblood has worked to develop a line of single origin coffees that are traceable to individual farmers within Columbia. By raising enough funding to build a coffee roasting facility in Columbia, Youngblood has helped Azahar to keep most of its coffee’s final value within the local community. As a result of he and his Azahar team’s efforts, they have been able to boost their producers’ incomes by 50 to 70 percent as well as provide technical assistance to help improve their farms’ operations.</p><p><em>Picture credit: FoodTank</em></p><p><a href="https://foodtank.com/news/2017/05/20-food-leaders-40/" target="_blank">This news item was originally published on the FoodTank website.</a></p>13 May 2017Stacy Hammondhttp://africa.ypard.net/news/20-food-leaders-under-40Exciting moments of Young Africa Works Summit 2017http://africa.ypard.net/news/exciting-moments-young-africa-works-summit-2017
<p><em>"The Young Africa Works Summit 2017 was a very exciting learning platform that enlightened us on opportunities and options to increase the role of youth in the future of agricultural development in Africa by improving their skills, knowledge and experience</em>”, Bamlaku Asmare, <strong>ICIPE</strong>’s youth delegate from Ethiopia.</p><p> </p><p><em><img alt="" src="/sites/ypard.net/files/balamku_1.jpg" style="width: 380px; height: 436px; border-width: 2px; border-style: solid; margin: 6px; float: left;" />Bamlaku is one of 50 youth delegates who attended <strong>The MasterCard Foundation Young Africa Works Summit</strong> in Kigali, Rwanda on February 16 – 17, 2017. He is the energetic leader of a beekeeping enterprise supported by the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology’s (icipe) Young Entrepreneurs in Silk and Honey <a href="http://www.icipe.org/research/environmental-health/beneficial-and-commercial-insects/projects/young-entrepreneurs-silk" target="_blank">(YESH)</a> project.</em></p><div><p><em>During the Summit, youth delegates attended training and networking sessions, and were guided through a mentorship program organized by the Young Professionals for Agricultural Development <a href="http://www.ypard.net/" target="_blank">(YPARD)</a>. Summit sessions explored the theme of agricultural transformation, in particular, the YESH project on youth agriculture enterprises, and gain better knowledge on how to manage common challenges and network.</em></p><p><strong>What did you learn by attending the Summit?</strong></p><p><em>Bamlaku:</em> The main lesson from the Summit was that youth have the knowledge and motivation to drive agricultural transformation in Africa. Young people can play major roles in moving from traditional agricultural practices and subsistence farming to greater commercialization in their respective countries. Regardless of the type of business they are involved in, the “we can” spirit remains with the youth and this was loudly applauded at the Summit. This was fabulous and a very exciting experience for me.</p><p><strong>Did you have a favourite session? Which one? Why?</strong></p><p><em>Bamlaku:</em> The pre-Summit session mentoring program was very useful and I greatly appreciate the mentorship opportunity I was provided with. My favourite session was the “Setting the Stage for Agricultural Transformation” panel.</p><p><strong>What do you hope for the future of agricultural transformation in Africa?</strong></p><p><em>Bamlaku:</em> Ideas discussed during the Summit added more impetus to my career development and I hope millions of fellow African youth will also be inspired by messages from this Summit. The Summit drove home the key message that empowering youth is not only about creating jobs and supporting livelihoods, but about allowing them to drive transformation and provide opportunities for leadership and engagement. This was a major outcome of the event. Although the agricultural sector is very wide in its nature, my hope is that our youth beekeeping initiative will expand throughout Ethiopia and to other African countries to generate jobs, increase incomes, and support rural livelihoods. This would significantly contribute to the transformation of African agriculture. I believe improving beekeeping has direct implications on overall agricultural productivity.</p><p><em>The Summit was a very successful event, which came at an opportune time for icipe as it has been working to demonstrate the effectiveness of improved agricultural technologies to generate employment opportunities for unemployed youth.</em></p><p><em>Bamlaku was particularly excited about the mentorship program. His mentor has helped him gain a better understanding of how to perform many activities simultaneously, which include his work in beekeeping.</em></p><h3><em><strong>The view of the mentor <img alt="mentor" src="/sites/ypard.net/files/mentor_1.jpg" style="width: 382px; height: 571px; border-width: 2px; border-style: solid; margin: 6px; float: right;" /></strong></em></h3><p> </p><p><strong>Describe your experience with the mentorship program.</strong></p><p>I think the mentorship program is an opportunity for me to guide and support the next generation of young agriculturists in Africa. The program has created a forum for both of us to interact on important issues in the context of the broader agricultural development agenda. The program has strong support from The MasterCard Foundation and I hope it will be an excellent learning opportunity.</p><p><strong>What have you learned from each other?</strong></p><p>We have only worked together for a short period at this stage. However, I have learned about the beekeeping activities that a youth group is undertaking under Bamlaku’s leadership in rural Ethiopia. The group has a strong commitment to developing their business and to serving as a role model for other unemployed youth.</p><p><strong>How will the mentor/mentee relationship continue beyond the Summit?</strong></p><p>I had a chance to interact with Bamlaku just before the Summit and I am glad to help him realize the ambitions and commitment of his youth group. In addition, his group also aspires to diversify their agricultural activities in the future. I also took some time to learn more about his group during the Summit and I am confident that our relationship will strengthen over the one year period. I hope we will establish a long-lasting relationship with Bamlaku and his team.</p><p><strong>What is the value of participating in such a program?</strong></p><p>As we all realize, subsistence agriculture is a way of life in Africa and the population currently engaged is getting older. We need to nurture this young generation and impart to them the importance and value of agriculture in food security, nutrition, livelihoods and overall economic development.</p><div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Find the <i><a href="http://youngafricaworks.org/exciting-moments-of-young-africa-works-summit-2017/" target="_blank">original blogpost</a> </i>on the Young Africa Works website.</div><div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><div> </div><div>This blogpost by Desalegne Tadesse is part of a blog series on the mentorship of the Young Africa Works Summit.</div></div><div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> </div></div><p><em>Photo courtesy: <a href="http://youngafricaworks.org/exciting-moments-of-young-africa-works-summit-2017/" target="_blank">Young Africa Works Summit</a></em></p>12 May 2017Pius Hiwehttp://africa.ypard.net/news/exciting-moments-young-africa-works-summit-2017Bringing policy makers to studentshttp://africa.ypard.net/news/bringing-policy-makers-students
<p><img alt="" src="/sites/ypard.net/files/31338773536_63210145e9_z_0.jpg" style="width: 580px; height: 387px; border-width: 2px; border-style: solid; margin: 6px;" /></p><p>A few days ago some 150 students from eight universities from around the world received Certificates of Appreciation for their tremendous contribution to the <a href="http://www.fao.org/webcast/home/en/item/4261/icode/" target="_blank">Student Interactive Session - Bringing Fresh Perspectives</a><em>.</em></p><p>The event which was held on 1-2 December 2016 in Rome Italy during the‘<a href="http://www.fao.org/about/meetings/sustainable-food-systems-nutrition-symposium/en/" target="_blank">International Symposium on Sustainable Food Systems for Healthy Diets and Improved Nutrition</a> aimed at building momentum for the UN’s <em>Decade of Action on Nutrition</em> (2016 to 2025) by bringing together various actors and stakeholders to explore policies and programs and share country experiences for shaping a systems approach for healthy diets and nutrition. Students and young researchers can play a major role in promoting the discourse in their own communities today as well as health and agricultural practitioners, leaders and decision-makers of the future. Therefore, the interactive online session connecting with them directly from different parts of the world was very useful. </p><p>The basic format was kept simple. As a first step, the eight participating universities webcast the Plenary Session and the Key Note Lecture from the Symposium as a ‘webinar’ in their own premises and it was attended by their faculty members and students. Then they organised a student-led discussion on the issues related to healthy diets and nutrition and how they impact their own community and country. A summary of their discussion with recommendations was prepared by each university and presented by their student representative at the interactive session to a panel of experts and policy makers. The students did not hesitate to present their views freely and the international experts answered their questions and shared their own experiences in an open and candid exchange. The university teachers played a big role to support the initiative and make it happen. The social media was also very active thanks to YPARD’s outreach and the strong networks of the participating universities. </p><p>This was the second time FAO had organised such as interactive session with YPARD. Earlier in 2016, during the <a href="http://www.fao.org/about/meetings/agribiotechs-symposium/en/" target="_blank">International Symposium on the Role of Agricultural Biotechnologies in Sustainable Food Systems and Nutrition</a> another group of seven universities had conveyed their key messages through an i<a href="http://www.fao.org/webcast/home/en/item/4040/icode/" target="_blank">nteractive session</a>. Agriculture biotechnology is a cross-cutting subject and the key messages from the students covered many important aspects ranging from the current challenges and opportunities for food systems to the role of future policy makers with regards biotechnology. On both of these occasions, everyone recognized the commitment of the student community and their impatience with the pace of progress. </p><p>Looking ahead, few points are clear. First, online interactive sessions can be an effective way to open the space for dialogue and discussions with the young generation. Social media too can be channeled for insightful inputs on pertinent issues and policy related matters. Students welcome such two-way engagements both from the career perspective and for expanding their network. The academic community is also interested in creating new opportunities that stimulate engagement for the students with the global community. This alliance with YPARD is a win –win and can provide new avenues for future collaboration. Perhaps a joint approach can be used to interact about the targets set out for the Sustainable Development Goals and create a student–led ground swell for achieving these goals.</p><p><em>Blogpost by Dr. Kakoli Ghosh, Coordinator, Academia and Research Organisations, Partnerships, Advocacy and Capacity Development Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome, Italy.</em></p><p><em>The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).</em></p><p><em>Photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/faonews/31338773536/in/album-72157673221705334/" target="_blank">FAO/Alessandra Benedetti</a> </em></p>24 Apr 2017Emmie Wachirahttp://africa.ypard.net/news/bringing-policy-makers-studentsMoving forward on youth inclusiveness in agricultural transformationhttp://africa.ypard.net/news/moving-forward-youth-inclusiveness-agricultural-transformation
<p><img alt="" src="/sites/ypard.net/files/news161220_youth-meetings-615x223.png" style="border-width: 2px; border-style: solid; margin: 6px;" />Youth in agriculture has been high on the development agenda. While many policies and programs are being implemented that should bring youth back to work in agriculture, they are often underpinned by assumptions that could undermine the effective augmentation of food security and employment. To start the discussion by shedding some light on the do’s and don’ts when working with youth, two meetings were organized on <a href="http://knowledge4food.net/youth-inclusiveness-agricultural-transformation/" target="_blank">youth inclusiveness in agricultural transformation</a>. </p><p>The <a href="http://www.foodfirst.eu/index.php?a=20161207" target="_blank">Vijverberg session</a>, part of the <a href="http://www.foodfirst.eu/" target="_blank">foodFIRST</a> series, on December 7, 2016 brought together a wide range of experts. The lunch meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on December 8, 2016 focused the discussion more on policy implication. The high turnout at both meetings by multidisciplinary stakeholders resulted in interesting insights and debates.</p><h3><strong>Key-note speech</strong></h3><p>The key presenter of the meetings, <a href="http://www.ids.ac.uk/person/jim-sumberg" target="_blank">Jim Sumberg</a> from The Institute of Development Studies (<a href="http://www.ids.ac.uk/IDS" target="_blank">IDS</a>), gave a speech to counter some of the current dominant discourses of youth in agriculture. Sumberg is an agriculturalist by training and has over 25 years of experience in working on small-scale farming systems and agricultural research policy in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. IDS has been very active on the topic of youth in agriculture, <a href="http://knowledge4food.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/IDS_work_on_young_people.pdf" target="_blank">please find an overview of their work</a>. In his speech, Sumberg argued for <a href="http://www.ids.ac.uk/opinion/youth-as-the-newest-development-target-group" target="_blank">more critical engagement</a> in policy and practice upon processes of agricultural transformation, youth un- and underemployment, and youth entrepreneurship.</p><p>For example, aiming for agricultural transformation at the farmer level versus the system level (cooperation between larger units) determines the kind of programs that can be successful in creating opportunities for youth. Relating to this, we need to distinguish between <a href="http://www.ids.ac.uk/opinion/africa-s-structural-challenges-can-t-be-solved-by-youth-innovation" target="_blank">structural problems</a> which account for a larger group of people, and <a href="http://knowledge4food.net/knowledge-portal-item/stop-talking-youth/" target="_blank">truly young-specific</a> problems where young people are being systematically and institutionally disadvantaged or discriminated against. Sumberg argued that too many programs are focusing on youth as the entrepreneur and <a href="http://www.ids.ac.uk/opinion/does-self-employment-always-indicate-entrepreneurship" target="_blank">entrepreneurship as the key to employment generation</a>. The assumption is that this will spur agricultural transformation and create opportunities for youth within that process, however it has yet to be seen whether this strategy will be successful. Youth are often targeted, as individual, isolated economic agents, while young people are, for the most part, deeply embedded and even dependent upon networks of family and social relations. Therefore, Sumberg called for a social systems approach. These points were central to the continued debate afterwards. <a href="http://knowledge4food.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sumberg_speech_The-Hague_7_8_Dec2017.pdf" target="_blank">His complete speech can be found here</a>.</p><h3><strong>Insights from country cases</strong></h3><p>Next, the insights from a <a href="http://knowledge4food.net/youth-inclusiveness-agricultural-transformation/" target="_blank">quick-scan study</a> by the F&amp;BKP, <a href="http://includeplatform.net/dossier/dossier-youth-employment/" target="_blank">INCLUDE Platform</a> and <a href="http://agriprofocus.com/youth" target="_blank">AgriProFocus</a> were presented to illustrate the discussion with country-specific insights. Find the presentation <a href="http://knowledge4food.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/161207-quick-scan-youth_meetings-online.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>. This study aimed to assess available evidence in relation to African young people’s engagement with agriculture, and to analyze how this is reflected in current policy and programing in Ghana, Mali and Kenya. The study confirmed that youth policies are mainly looking at youth as the innovator and the entrepreneur, and follows the assumption that augmenting these characteristics will contribute to employment and overall economic growth. There was hardly any distinction made between youth groups – rural/urban, male/female, un-/under-employed – nor was there attention paid to social contexts. Some constraints were targeted more often, such as skills training and access to finance, while others were less targeted, such as access to land. The presentation concluded that a forward looking agenda should better focus on several aspects: the structural versus youth-specific problems; aligning policies better to the social context; integration of the aspiration of youth for their futures; a better distinction between youth; and finally follow an integrated approach to tackle all constraints in one approach. <a href="http://knowledge4food.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/161130_youth-inclusiveness-agri_quick-scan-final.pdf" target="_blank">The complete quick-scan report can be found here (PDF)</a>.</p><h3><strong>Linking to experiences from practice</strong></h3><p>To continue the conversation, three panelists offered their reflections on Mr. Sumberg’s presentation and on the country-specific results of the quick-scan study. The discussion highlighted some interesting practical experiences and perspectives. Agnieszka Kazimierczuk from the African Studies Centre Leiden (<a href="http://www.ascleiden.nl/" target="_blank">ASCL</a>) studied the Kenyan floriculture sector that provides many jobs for Kenyan youth. According to her, large-scale farming could offer a solution to youth inclusiveness in agricultural transformation. Her speech can be found <a href="http://knowledge4food.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Vijverberg-session-points-Kazimieczuk.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>. Ingrid Flink of the Royal Tropical Institute (<a href="http://www.kit.nl/" target="_blank">KIT</a>), and also the Netherlands’ country representative of <a href="http://www.ypard.net/" target="_blank">YPARD</a>, stressed the importance of really understanding the aspirations of youth for more effective policy and programs. Illustrating this, Flink mentioned a recent study on livelihood choices and options of <a href="http://www.ypard.net/2016-july-15/new-study-sheds-light-youth-issues-drylands" target="_blank">young people living in rural drylands in Morocco</a>. Furthermore, Flink elaborated on the <a href="http://www.ypard.net/2016-july-15/what-next-ypards-mentoring-programs" target="_blank">YPARD mentoring program</a>. Her presentation can be found <a href="http://knowledge4food.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/YPARD-presentation-I-Flink.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>. Finally, Gijs Paaimans of <a href="http://www.heifer.nl/" target="_blank">Heifer</a> reflected on the necessity of an integrated approach and highlighted the recent <a href="https://www.heifer.org/about-heifer/press/press-releases/2016/heifer-international-partners-with-the-mastercard-foundation-to-benefit-25000-youth-in-east-africa-.html" target="_blank">EAYIP program</a> which targets livelihoods of youth in Tanzania and Uganda by applying an holistic approach of combining skills building, finance, and youth participation in agribusiness. His reflection can be found <a href="http://knowledge4food.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Reflection-G.Paaimans-Heifer.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><h3><strong>Expert debate</strong></h3><p>At the Vijverberg session, several stakeholders working in this field recognized the constraints and issues, but also critically discussed common narratives that were highlighted in the presentations. Social relations are highly important so cultural factors should be taken into account. Formal data show a high unemployment rate, which rather masks underemployment. There was a lot of discussion around the role of entrepreneurs as not all youth want to become entrepreneurs, but would like to have the security of regular payment. Several participants stressed the importance of creating decent employment, which includes long-term investments in basic structures. Young people that are leaving agriculture can also be seen as part of economic growth and progress. Though agriculture is still expected to offer employment possibilities, research should also focus on how other sectors can absorb a bigger (youth) labor force. That said, there should be more of a variety in policies on different aspirations of youth and youth groups regarding their futures, which also includes better matching of market demand and skills for qualified jobs.</p><p>At the second meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Teun Meulepas from the <a href="http://www.buildingbridges.nu/about-us" target="_blank">Building Bridges foundation</a>, presented highlights from <a href="http://www.buildingbridges.nu/#project" target="_blank">the Road to Nairobi</a>. What was very interesting from his presentation was that one of the main challenges for young entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector is bureaucracy and corruption, which was also found in the <a href="http://knowledge4food.net/youth-inclusiveness-agricultural-transformation/" target="_blank">quick-scan study</a>. Furthermore, it appeared that almost all agripreneurs that had been interviewed were financially dependent on family, friends or their community, which underpins again the importance of social relations. <a href="http://knowledge4food.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/RTNB-2016-minbuza.pdf" target="_blank">His complete presentation can be found here</a>. Melle Leenstra of the Inclusive Green Growth direction reflected on these discussions, and he stressed the importance of intergenerational sustainability and that policies should have a youth-sensitive approach. Leenstra also added the importance of looking at the rural-urban dynamics and opportunities in response to Sumberg’s argument for “inclusive rural transformations”. It was agreed not to overlook the role of urban consumers.</p><h3><strong>Moving forward</strong></h3><p>Overall as Jim Sumberg concluded, the ambition level of policy makers and practitioners should be much higher. There are several structural issues (such as population growth, corruption and food security) that deserve attention, and a clear distinction should be made between structural problems and youth-specific constraints. A take-home message from Jim Sumberg was to position the way forward around the basic question of, “how do you imagine your future” instead of the overly job-focused question of “what do you want to be when you grow up?” As Sumberg concluded, putting futures and aspirations of youth as the key ambition could create a more long-term engagement context for development agendas.</p><p>In the beginning of 2017, AgriProFocus will initiate another Community of Practice meeting for those stakeholders that are interested in linking and learning around this topic. The Food &amp; Business Knowledge Platform will continue to facilitate the development of a Knowledge Agenda on this topic. Please find more information on how to join <a href="http://knowledge4food.net/theme/youth-agri-food/" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p><em>Picture credit: USAID Kenya</em></p><p><em><a href="http://knowledge4food.net/moving-agenda-youth-inclusiveness-agricultural-transformation/" target="_blank">This post was originally featured on the Food and Business Knowledge Platform.</a></em></p>12 Apr 2017YPARDhttp://africa.ypard.net/news/moving-forward-youth-inclusiveness-agricultural-transformation